Somalian residents protest said ‘We Won’t Be Intimidated’ after Al-Shabab attack

• The attack, a suicide bomber, and gunmen attack, killed 37 people and injured many more.
• Protesters, including Abdisalam Ahmed Abdullahi, aimed to show they can’t be intimidated.
• Al-Shabab, linked to Al-Qaeda, has been targeting the Lido Beach area for over 17 years.

On Monday, crowds of Somalis gathered to protest against the jihadist group Al-Shabab at the site of a deadly beachfront attack in the capital, Mogadishu, from the previous week. On Friday evening, a suicide bomber and gunmen targeted the popular Lido Beach, killing 37 people and wounding many more in one of the deadliest strikes in East Africa in months.

“We came here to Lido Beach to show we can’t be intimidated,” said one of the protesters, Abdisalam Ahmed Abdullahi.

“Mogadishu people are not afraid of the Kharijite enemy,” he said, referring to the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants who have carried out numerous attacks in the predominantly Muslim country for years.

Survivors of Friday’s assault described how, after the explosion, gunmen stormed onto the beach with the intent to “kill everyone they could.” A graphic video shared online showed bloodied bodies on the sand.

Al-Shabab has waged a bloody insurgency against Somalia’s fragile federal government for over 17 years and has previously targeted the Lido Beach area. This area, popular with business people, government members, and ordinary Somalis, has been a frequent target.

“Somali people in general, and those in Mogadishu particularly, need to unite in fighting against the enemy,” said Livestock Minister Hassan Hussein, one of several government officials who joined the rally.

He described Al-Shabab militants as “bedbugs.”

Amina Ibrahim Halane said she joined the rally to show sympathy for the victims of Friday’s attack, saying they were simply “innocent men… enjoying their city.”

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